From a press release issued by Ducati North America:

FROM THE 24th TO THE 28th MAY 2005 MOTOGIRO RETURNS TO THE ROADS OF TRADITION

After the very enjoyable 2004 get-a-way in Sicily, the historic revival of Italy’s oldest timed motorcycle road race has chosen central Italy as its stage for 2005. Ducati Motor once again is the main sponsor of the event organized by Dream Engine.

Bologna – From May 24th – 28th 2005, the Motogiro d’Italia, the historic Italian motorbike competition, returns to the legendary roads of Emilia Romagna, Umbria, Tuscany and Marche. Dream Engine is organizing the event for its fifth consecutive year and Ducati Motor is the event’s main sponsor – as it has been since 2001 – helping to celebrate the golden years of Italian motorcycling.

The first four editions of the Motogiro have seen a constant rise in interest and enthusiasm from motorcyclists everywhere. From the first edition’s 20 passionate riders, the event has grown to include over 400 participants from all over the world. Each year, champions of the 1950’s Motogiro like, Giuliano Maoggi, Remo Venturi and Leopoldo Tartarini, have returned to the event as guests of honor. The beautifully diverse Italian peninsula has proven time and again the perfect stage to showcase the most renowned Italian motorcycle makes – names like: Ducati, Morini, MV Agusta, Moto Guzzi, Benelli, Bianchi, Gilera and Motobi.

After an awe-inspiring escape to Sicily, which took the 2004 Motogiro through unexplored curves and bends, the 2005 edition returns to more ‘traditional’ roads in central Italy. The itinerary begins with departure from Cattolica (Rimini) and ends in Gradara (Pesaro-Urbino). In between await five legs of approximately 250 km each on some of the most panoramic and enjoyable roads Italy’s coastline and inland has to offer. Like in previous editions, Touring Class participants will have the opportunity to visit and enjoy the cultural treasures along the way. Numerous rest stops will be organized along each day’s route. And at the end of each leg, participants will be greeted by the travelling Motogiro Village. Prize giving will be accompanied by a gala dinner on the event’s last day. The finalized itinerary will be published as the event nears.

Sponsored by Ducati Motor – the event’s main sponsor for the fifth consecutive year, Motogiro is also made possible by the support of: Regione Emilia Romagna, Motociclismo d’Epoca, Corriere dello Sport-Stadio, Shell, Marzocchi, Iveco, Comune di Gradara, Comune di Perugia, Comune di Cattolica, Acquario di Cattolica-Le Navi. Dream Engine, the event organizer is assisted by Federazione Motociclistica Italiana, and the technical support provided by Motoclub Terni “L. Liberati”. The Curve&Tornanti team will guide the Touring Class.

The Motogiro is open to motorcycles authorized for road use of all marques and is divided into three classes: The Vintage Racing Class, Touring Class, and Taglioni Memorial Class.

Vintage Racing Class
With an overall limit of 120 participants, this class features motorbikes of up to 175cc manufactured prior to 1957. Competitors in the Vintage Racing Class will be subject to timed, competitive ability tests en-route. Motorbikes are selected on a case-by-case basis, judged based on the receipt of photographs of the bike. Motorbikes inspired by original Motogiro bikes yet manufactured subsequent to 1957 may also apply.

Taglioni Memorial Class
In its third consecutive year, the Taglioni Memorial Class highlights the decade in which Ducati engineer Fabio Taglioni created his legendary 2 cylinder motorbikes. This class is open to street legal and insured motorbikes and sidecars of all marques, 250 cc or higher, produced between 1968 and 1978. Competitors in this class take part in ability trials.

Touring Class
For riders of newer bikes, this class is designed for those who wish to participate in the excitement of the Motogiro on a non-competitive basis. The Touring class follows the same itinerary as the Vintage Racing and Taglioni Memorial Class but at a more relaxed pace. The touring class is open to all street legal and insured motorbikes of all marques and cc.

For further information and registration, please contact:

Dream Engine
Via Saffi 4
40131 Bologna
Italia
tel. +39 051 6494472
fax +39 051 5286378
email: [email protected]
www.motogiroditalia.com

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

A two-day test at California Speedway, involving four AMA teams, ended early Wednesday due to high winds in the Fontana, California area.

“It wasn’t that great out there,” American Honda’s Jake Zemke told Roadracingworld.com. “We’ve been here when it’s been worse, but it was hard to get any valid information out there today.

“That moveable barrier (outside of turn nine) blew over, and they (track workers) said they needed half-an-hour to fix it. Then it blew over again. I think they (the teams) decided to call it a day early so they didn’t get charged for a full day’s rental.”

Zemke said he didn’t get to ride his Formula Xtreme CBR600RR at all Wednesday, but he completed his test program on his CBR1000RR Superbike. Teammate Miguel Duhamel completed his Formula Xtreme test program, but didn’t finish his Superbike agenda. American Honda plans to combine data from both riders in preparation for the next off-season test.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies said he only did “three or four” laps on his new 2005 GSX-R1000 Superbike, lapping in the mid-1:27 range, before stopping early, but said he was happy with his first test since off-season surgery to his knee and forearms (to relieve arm pump symptoms).

Tommy Hayden’s Crew Chief Joey Lombardo said the team got nothing accomplished on Hayden’s Kawasakis due to the 40 mph winds Wednesday, but teammate Roger Lee Hayden’s Crew Chief Dan Fahie said the younger Hayden brother evaluated some new Dunlop DOT-labeled front tires with positive results.

Attack Kawasaki’s Jerry Daggett said Josh Hayes continued testing a new specification Superbike engine, new suspension linkages and chassis geometry before the test was shut down Wednesday. Hayes’ new teammate Ben Attard, however, did not get a chance to try out his new ZX-6RR Formula Xtreme bike.

The test at California Speedway is the last for most teams before they test again at Daytona International Speedway January 3-5, 2005.

From a press release issued by Supermoto Canada:

A Supermoto Christmas on TSN

Supermoto fans get ready for an extra Christmas treat this year! Supermoto Canada is pleased to announce that TSN will air Round 3 of the Canadian National Supermoto Championship on Christmas Day at 11:30am. Repeat airings are slated for Tuesday, December 28th at 4:30pm; Thursday, December 30th at 12:30am and Sunday, January 2nd at 3:30am. See the “A Supermoto Christmas on TSN” for more details.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

“We’ve never fielded a factory effort,” said Erik Buell, who called roadracingworld.com to comment on our earlier post regarding Michael Barnes and Buell Motor Company’s racing program for 2005.

Buell said that the company hooked its support teams up with sponsors in 2004.

“We did help them, working on the bikes and working on the engines. But our dealers raced them. We got outside sponsorship money that helped those teams.

“We thought we were going to be able to field more dealer teams (in 2005), but we thought we’d be able to do it with outside sponsorship money, and we didn’t even get what we got last year.

“When they got the Daytona 200 involved, I thought we’d have leverage for more sponsorship, and it really blew me away. We’ll keep looking. I thought we’d succeed.

“We’re going to still have contingency money in F-USA Thunderbike, and Henry Duga will still be around at the races.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

WSMC officials have reacted to a string of misunderstandings and mishaps involving two first-time WSMC riders at last weekend’s event by producing a “Top 10” handout for new license holders.

CMRA Young Guns Tyler McDonald and Will Gruy encountered problems with unique-to-WSMC rules regarding engines being turned off in the tech area, fire extinguishers being required in pit areas and also with the quick turnaround between the end of one race and the start of the warm-up lap of the next. Gruy missed the warm-up lap for race 11, because riders were sent out on track before he could get back to the grid following the end of race 10.

Tyler McDonald’s father, former AMA 250cc GP Champion Sam McDonald, objected vigorously to the fact that Gruy missed the warm-up lap and that both Tyler McDonald and Gruy were fined $20 for rolling into the tech area with their engines running.

The fines were later waived, but the youngsters then donated the returned money to a bonus fund for WSMC cornerworkers.

Besides issuing the new list of handy tips, at future events WSMC will also post a sign at the entrance of the tech area, warning riders to turn off engines.

The list as issued by WSMC follows:



WSMC’s Top Ten Ways To Have A Better Weekend At The Track

10. Wear your wristband.

9. Try to be prompt, punctual, pleasant…and patient.

8. Take your used batteries, tires and oil with you when you leave.

7. Try not to “flame up” anyone unnecessarily.

6. Have a working fire extinguisher in your pit (In case you mess up #7).

5. Turn your engine off as you approach tech.

4. Advise race officials of your back-to-back races so they’ll wait for you to get from one race to the next.

3. Keep your hands to yourself.

2. Don’t say anything TOO hideous on the “Double BS” Board.

1. Don’t fall down.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The schedule of events and the selection of support classes for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix July 8-10, 2005, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has not been confirmed, according to track officials.

“The schedule has not been confirmed as yet. I’m hoping that I will have it confirmed here in the next couple of weeks,” Gill Campbell, General Manager of Laguna Seca, told Roadracingworld.com Tuesday. “We’ve just got to get it approved by a lot of different people. It’s just a process that we’re trying to go through to get what we want in there and in the correct time slots.”

MotoGP’s premier class, the BMW Power Cup for spec K1200S racebikes (which replaces the BMW Boxer Cup in 2005), the Super Stars of Super Karts and the AMA Superbike class will definitely race at Laguna Seca, according to Campbell.

Which AMA support classes (Supersport, Superstock or Formula Xtreme) will run remains to be decided.

With regards to the selection of AMA classes, Campbell stated, “Yamaha (a track and event sponsor) has told us that they will support whatever we select. Yamaha has not given us any directives whatsoever.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies was the fastest of all riders at an AMA team test Tuesday at California Speedway, in Fontana, California.

Riding his 2005 GSX-R1000 Superbike for the first time, Spies turned a 1:26.67 using race-compound Dunlops on a 2.36-mile infield road course most riders labeled as “green,” “slippery” and “dirty.”

Mat Mladin’s fastest race lap time at California Speedway in 2004 was a 1:25.750.

Spies also rode his Supersport GSX-R600, turning a 1:29.75, the fastest time by any 600cc pilot at the test.

Mat Mladin did not attend the test for Yoshimura Suzuki, but Aaron Yates was present and riding his Superstock-spec 2005 GSX-R1000 for the first time. Yates said his new bike “accelerates like crazy and turns good.”

Yates will race in Superbike and Superstock, Spies will compete in Superbike and Supersport and Mladin will concentrate on Superbike in 2005.

American Honda’s Jake Zemke and Miguel Duhamel worked until they ran out of daylight Tuesday because the team has a lot of work ahead of it. Like the team did with its Formula Xtreme CBR600RRs in 2004, American Honda will develop its own CBR1000RR Superbikes in 2005. Starting with “kit” bikes frees the team to use different hardware on the racers, according to Team Coordinator Ray Plumb.

Zemke and Duhamel tested Brembo and Nissin brakes and Showa and Ohlins suspension back-to-back Tuesday.

In his first test since breaking his left hand at VIR in October, Zemke was the second-fastest Superbike rider, and Duhamel, who said he immediately felt the weight reduction on his 2005 CBR600RR, was the second-fastest 600cc tester Tuesday.

Kawasaki’s Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden tried a few small changes on their ZX-10R Superstock racebikes and worked on getting comfortable on their all-new ZX-6RR Supersport machines at the test.

2004 AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden, who has ridden the new 600cc machine four times now, said it’s hard to compare the new bike with the old version because the new bike has “a completely different feel.” Roger Lee Hayden was uninjured when he lowsided his ZX-10R in one of California Speedway’s few right-hand turns late in the day.

Attack Kawasaki was the fourth and final team at the test. With few parts to test, Josh Hayes experimented with the riding position on his ZX-10R Superbike. Attack Kawasaki’s newest rider, Australian Ben Attard, sat on the sidelines while the team finished preparation of his ZX-6RR Formula Xtreme bike. Attard expects to ride Wednesday, when the test concludes.

Unofficial Lap Times (as supplied by each team):

1. Ben Spies, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:26.67
2. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR1000RR Superbike, 1:27.30
3. Josh Hayes, Kaw ZX-10R Superbike, 1:28.20
4. Aaron Yates, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:28.50
5. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR1000RR Superbike, 1:28.58
6. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R Superstock, 1:28.86
7. Ben Spies, Suz GSX-R600 Supersport, 1:29.75
8. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR600RR Formula Xtreme, 1:29.84
9. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R Superstock, 1:29.84
10. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-6RR Supersport, 1:30.37
11. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-6RR Supersport, 1:30.66

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Buell Motor Company will not field any racebikes in the 2005 AMA Formula Xtreme series, according to Michael Barnes, who rode for one of the company’s support teams in 2004.

Barnes told Roadracingworld.com that the company has no budget for racing in 2005.

Roadracingworld.com was unable to reach Erik Buell for comment.